Pharmacological Approach to Combat Mosquito Transmitted Malaria

Effective malaria management also decreases transmission of the disease to other people by decreasing the disease reservoir and by preventing the emergence and spread of resistance to antimalarial drugs. World health organization recommended the use of artemisinin based combination therapy as first line treatment for uncomplicated malaria. Resistance has also been documented to all classes of antimalarial medicines, including the artemisinin derivatives, and it is a major threat to malaria control. The main consequence of antimalarial drug resistance is treatment failure. Widespread inappropriate use of antimalarial drugs exerts a strong selective pressure on malaria parasites to develop high levels of resistance. Resistance can be prevented, or its onset slowed considerably by combining antimalarial drugs with different mechanisms of action and ensuring high cure rates through full adherence to correct dose regimens. Regular monitoring of drug efficacy is needed to inform treatment policies in malaria-endemic countries, and to ensure early detection of, and response to, drug resistance.